Winter Night
by StormWildcat
Summary: After a long, snowy day, Kanji and Naoto find sanctuary in front of the fireplace. Fluffy!


Winter had taken its hold on Inaba. The sun could only offer so much warmth during the day while the pale moon exaggerated that chill creeping up your spine. But on this night, the air had that strange slightly warmer feeling to it that only comes with snowfall. A slight wind pushed the delicate flakes at a gentle angle, leaving lopsided mounds to white out the town. It was a pleasant winter wonderland outside, one that Kanji and Naoto had enjoyed all day and with nightfall were content to continue admiring from inside the Tatsumi household.

The couple relaxed in front of the fire, cups of tea on standby in case of thirst or deep chill. The room and its inhabitants were bathed in a warm, orange hue. From their cozy resting place, they watched the snow and laughed about their adventures that day.

"I can't believe you got me with that snowball," Kanji chuckled, reclining back onto his hands.

"You underestimate my aim, Kanji. You should know better by now," Naoto light-heartedly lectured.

"I know you're good at aiming, Naoto. Just wasn't sure about your…well…throw". An unsure crooked smile tugged at Kanji's cheeks, making them wrinkle. Meanwhile his girlfriend's brow furrowed and mouth gaped in a mix of feigned and true offense.

"Hey! That's awfully mean of you!" Kanji would've been worried by her words had her tone not gotten jerked about by poorly-suppressed giggles.

"What? Can you blame me?" he jokingly defended. "I really didn't think you could throw that far!"

"You were only 20 feet away!"

A pause followed to give Kanji desperately needed thinking time.

"Well, there was some wind and you were kinda throwin' against it so I thought the resistance would-"

"Wind resist-. Shut up and resist this!" Naoto declared as she quickly shifted her weight and launched herself into Kanji, tackling him to the floor.

"Ah! H-Hey, N-Naoto!" he managed to laugh out. Limbs tangled together, each of them wrestling for dominance until Kanji gave in to Naoto. His mother had always taught him to allow the woman to win here and there since it was sure to put her in a good mood. She raised no fool. And it was obvious that her advice was right on the money. Naoto sat on top of him victorious and beaming with laughter, happy as can be. The sight made him smile wide.

With a sudden overwhelming need to be close washing over him, Kanji pulled his champion down so she laid on him, the crown of her head nuzzled under his chin. Naoto heaved a long, content sigh and squeezed her boyfriend as tight as their new position would allow. Everything was perfect. Fairytale, even. A delicate snowfall outside while they're snuggled together in front of a crackling fireplace. It was the kind of setting where the mind relaxes and the heart sings out whatever it feels.

And Naoto's had a particularly happy tune in mind.

Without hesitation (or in her case, taking time to carefully weigh the possible pros and cons of the words about to roll off her tongue), Naoto's heart took over her lips and vocal chords. Flooded by the atmosphere and her own overbearing emotions, in a soft, tiny voice she cooed, "I love you, Kanji-kun".

Frozen.

They were completely petrified by the sudden confession. It wasn't that it was a huge mistake on Naoto's part or poor timing. Up until that point, Kanji and Naoto had been taking everything a baby step at a time, enjoying their teenage relationship with all the perks of companionship and none of the ball-and-chain feeling brought on by the young version of sentiment; commitment brought on by those three special words that they were so afraid to cheapen like the couples at school who use them as punctuation rather than holding them to the standard that they deserve.

But now.

"You…you love m-me?" Kanji squeaked. His chest felt heavy and stiff. He didn't expect this at all. True that they had been together long enough for love (beyond the puppy variety) to bloom, but the fact that that combination of syllables skated past Naoto's lips first was a shock to both of them. If one of them was to be labeled with an innate ability to mask their true feelings and bury them deeply to avoid awkward situations, it was Shirogane. However, that day had been enough to pry them out of her.

They laid in stillness for a few ticks of the clock, Kanji in disbelief and Naoto horrified she'd jumped the proverbial gun Was it still too soon? Should she had kept her guard up better? Once he had recovered from the initial 1-2-3 blow, Kanji swelled with pure emotion. All he wanted was to pick her up, shoot to his feet and swing her around, screaming it back until the neighbors complained about the ruckus. (Though he'd just ignore it. The girl of his dreams just said she loved him. They could take their noise citation and shove it). Rather than risk the altercation and a visit from Dojima-san or one of his men, Kanji opted to continue the day's perfect and subdued theme. With her eyes big with nervousness fixed on him, Kanji placed a finger under her chin and guided her into a gentle yet passionate kiss.

When he finally broke away, the most genuine smile spread across Kanji's face. Forehead pressed to hers, he breathed hapily, "I love you too, Naoto-chan". Immediately her face lit up and she cuddled as close to Kanji as she could manage. They had taken the next step and basked in the comfort of their new love until the last of the embers popped and darkened and their tea had gone as cold as the winter night.


End file.
